“Every penny spent on ­compensation claims is a penny that can’t be spent on doing proper police work”

Andy Silvester, ­TaxPayers’ Alliance

The results were disclosed in a Freedom of Information survey of 36 police forces in England and Wales.

The average compensation payment was £6,000 but there have been at least ten payments in excess of £50,000.

Andy Silvester of the ­TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ­“Every penny spent on ­compensation claims is a penny that can’t be spent on doing proper police work.

“Either the police are not doing their job properly or bosses are paying out too ­quickly on spurious claims. ­Regardless, the taxpayer picks up the tab and it’s got to stop.”

Chief Constable Alan Goodwin of the Association of Chief Police Officers said: “These ­figures should be put into the context of the ­thousands of ­interactions between police and public in the UK every day, the vast majority of which are ­conducted to a high standard of professionalism and without giving rise to ­complaint.

“Unfortunately, there are some occasions when the level of service falls below those standards, either through genuine mistakes or misconduct on the part of some police officers and staff, which result in members of the public exercising their right to complain about their experience.

“It is only right for the Police Service to ­acknowledge their shortcomings.”